Wolfpack keeps building on success

Bob Sutton Times-News @tnBobSutton

Tuesday

Feb 6, 2018 at 10:43 PM

As North Carolina State has put together a three-game winning streak and is suddenly making an impact in the upper part of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, the games tend to look like they’re growing in importance.

Going to Virginia Tech for Wednesday night’s game provides another chance for a credible result.

“We say it’s big because it’s the next game on the schedule,” N.C. State guard Braxton Beverly said.

Recently, it seems like every game brings about an improved level of play for the Wolfpack.

Keatts said he doesn’t want it to be surprising when the Wolfpack has good performances.

“We are learning how to play hard,” he said. “We don’t have a special formula. We have gotten better because we have done well in individual workouts. They are starting to believe in each other.”

Until this recent stretch, it had been three years since the Wolfpack won three consecutive ACC games.

Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn said it’s important to build on the victories. He said that’s why last weekend’s romp past Notre Dame was rewarding because there wasn’t a drop-off after the road upset at North Carolina.

“It was business as usual, very intense, very competitive,” Dorn said of practices. “Nothing that we aren’t accustomed to.”

Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said that his team’s worst loss of last season came to N.C. State, which rang up a 104-78 home victory.

While he knows the Wolfpack has had coaching and personnel changes since then, N.C. State continues to present challenges.

“They’re playing smaller, which allows them to play faster,” Williams said.

N.C. State has done that while holding the second-best turnover margin in the conference. Wolfpack sophomore guard Markell Johnson has delivered 10 or more assists in each of his last four games.

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Tip-off

Who: N.C. State (16-7, 6-4) at Virginia Tech (16-7, 5-5)

When: 9 Wednesday night (RSN)

Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.

Series: N.C. State leads 40-15

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